


One for the Money, Two for the Bo

by claraowl



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Bo is Bo and therefore hilarious, Engagement Reveal, Established Relationship, F/M, Identity Reveal, i feel bad for hikaru, i have had part of this in my head for YEARS, selfish oneshot, so here you go now it's in yours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claraowl/pseuds/claraowl
Summary: The time has come for Kuon to reveal his identity to all of Japan! And his wife-to-be, clad in her rooster best, is there to help. Another selfish oneshot.
Relationships: Mogami Kyoko/Tsuruga Ren, one-sided Hikaru/Kyoko - Relationship
Comments: 26
Kudos: 86





	One for the Money, Two for the Bo

**Hello and welcome back to selfish oneshots with claraowl! Thanks to mimag, akis, and persie for the fic spazzes and advice, y’all are the best.**

**I own nothing but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

The producer glared at her. “You are to be on your best behaviour. This is the highest-profile guest we’ve ever had on the show, and if you pull anything crazy, more than chicken heads will roll. Got it?”

Kyoko bowed as best she could in the Bo costume. “Of course, sir. I will be as well-behaved as Bo can be.”

“I mean it. I can have you replaced.”  _ Again _ . 

“Yes, sir. I want this show to go well.”  _ Probably more than you do. _

He continued talking as if she had not spoken. “Because if Tsuruga-san’s announcement gets ruined because of your antics….” He punctuated his sentence with another glare, leaving her to fill in the blanks. 

“I promise you that will not happen.” She adjusted Bo’s head under her arm.

His eyes narrowed further. “Maybe we should have someone else fill in.”

With a sigh, she lifted her wing and pointed at the stage. “Look, you want me on that stage tonight. I am one of four people in Japan, including him, who knows what he’s going to say tonight. He has a plan for his big news, and Bo is going to help.” She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering strength. “I know you don’t like me, and after the first episode’s fiasco I honestly don’t blame you. But you will regret it if you don’t have me on that stage tonight.”

He was taken aback at that. “Really?”  _ Why does my mascot know what I don’t? This is my show! _

“You’re welcome to verify with him if you don’t believe me,” she offered, no malice in her voice. “He’s in his dressing room already. Yashiro-san drove us both.” 

He stared at her as if he had never seen her before -- as if he had never looked beyond the mascot. “Very well, lead the way.”

Kyoko put on Bo’s head and  _ plonka _ ’d to Ren’s dressing room. Her knock was answered by a fidgeting Yashiro, who gave her a nervous smile. “That time already?”

She shook her head.  _ I wish I wasn’t in costume yet. Bo can’t talk to guests! _

“Kyoko?” 

The producer, a few steps behind her, blinked.  _ They’re on a first-name basis? Without honorifics? _

“Buckaw,” she replied. 

Ren tugged her into the room by her wing, making Yashiro step aside. And then the manager’s eyes went wide at the sight of the producer, standing slack-jawed in the hallway. Because  _ the _ Tsuruga Ren was hugging the chicken mascot tightly, as if drawing strength from the contact. Yashiro cleared his throat. “Ren, you have another visitor.”

Ren withdrew reluctantly from the hug. He knew that he shouldn’t have done that, but he was just so nervous. Holding Kyoko, even with the chicken suit in the way, always helped steady him. He gave her winged hand one last squeeze before turning and bowing. “Ah, pardon me. Thank you for having me on your show tonight. I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity.”

The producer, to his credit, buried his shock long enough to exchange the typical pleasantries. It was not until he and Kyoko were back out in the hallway that he let his surprise show. He turned to her as she pulled off Bo’s head and asked, “Are… are  _ you  _ his announcement?”

She laughed. “I might be part of it, if the topic comes up. But I’m  _ definitely  _ not the main event.”

**vVvVvVvVvVv**

“Welcome, everyone, to today’s special live show of Yappa Kimagure Rock!” Hikaru called to the crowd, waving to them and hyping them up. Not that he needed to, really, with the man who was sitting across from him and the other Ishibashis. “As you can see here, we have none other than  _ the _ Tsuruga Ren here with us today! Let’s give him a warm welcome!”

Ren smiled and waved to the crowd, making the screams increase. “Thank you for having me.”

Kyoko watched nervously from the curtains, waiting for her cue, as the four on stage exchanged pleasantries. Once they had finished discussing his current projects, she waddled onstage, holding the question eggs, her whiteboard, and her dry-erase marker. “Buck-buckaw!”

“And here’s Bo with our question eggs!” Shinichi said, extending his hand to take them from her. She handed him the basket, but did not move to her usual position. Instead, she tilted her head, making a big show of having Bo inspect Ren. She could feel the producer’s eyes boring into her from offstage, but she ignored him.

“Is something wrong, Bo-kun?” 

_ You seem tense, _ she scribbled on her whiteboard, first showing him and then the audience.  _ Want me to help? _

It was true. He  _ did _ seem tense -- not that anyone else in the studio could tell. Well, except for Yashiro, but he was offstage and plenty tense himself. Ren gave an easy smile. “Sure, Bo-kun. What did you have in mind?”

Kyoko set the whiteboard and marker down and waddled around the back of the couch on which Ren sat. She mimed pushing up her sleeves (really just ruffling her feathers and making them stick out at funny angles) and settled her wings on his shoulders. 

Yuusei laughed. “Ooh, a Bo massage! You should feel honored, Tsuruga-san, Bo doesn’t give those out very often.”

“Yeah, he always refuses to rub my aching shoulders after a long filming session! He’s always running off to pluck worms!” Shinichi chimed in, making the audience laugh as he slumped over dramatically. 

“Then I am indeed honored, Bo-kun.” He braced himself. “Do your worst.”

Bo’s wings chopped down on Ren’s shoulders, making him jump and the audience laugh. Honestly, it felt fairly good; Kyoko was pulling her strength so as to not hit him too hard. The smacking continued for a few moments before Bo switched to a rubbing motion, moving up his neck and onto his head -- and whipping his brown wig clean off. 

The audience’s laughter died as the wig hit the floor. Bo scrubbed harder at Ren’s head, removing his wig cap and sending his blond locks spilling out for the world to see. And then Bo seemed to panic, flinging the wig cap up in the air and diving over the back of the couch to grab Ren’s wig. It was only when Bo tried to shove the wig back on his head (putting it on backwards in the process), that Ren laughed. Bo flung himself to the floor in a dogeza.

“It’s okay, really, Bo-kun,” he said, pulling off the backwards wig and setting it aside. “I was planning to talk about this today anyway.”

Bo peeked up at him, tilting his rooster head. 

“Really. In fact, there’s one other thing I need to do, but I’d prefer that you not help me with this one.” Ren pulled his contact case out of his pocket and, while the audience continued to watch in shocked silence, he removed his brown contacts. He blinked a few times and then Kuon looked up at them with a grin. The camera zoomed in on his face, revealing his green eyes. 

“Buckaw?” Bo asked, sitting up. 

“Nice to properly meet you, Bo-kun,” he said, offering his hand for a shake. “My name is Hizuri Kuon.” And as sweaty hand met feathers, the audience erupted in whispers that swiftly turned to screams as they realized the implications of what Japan’s top actor had just said. 

Bo tilted his head and allowed Kuon to pull him to his feet. Then, as the audience continued to freak out and the Ishibashis stared at him with gaping jaws, Kyoko sketched on her whiteboard. She held up her drawing of an ear of corn (complete with a drooling Bo) to the audience.

Kuon barked out a laugh. “No, no, it’s  _ Kuon _ , not Corn.”  _ Trust Kyoko to make me laugh when I’m terrified. _

Bo pouted and wandered over to where the Ishibashis sat. His wings  _ fwuffed _ in their faces as he mimed slapping sense back into them. When that didn’t do the trick, he huffed and let out a loud “COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!” 

This microphone-powered call managed to quell the audience for a moment and remind the Ishibashis that they were doing a live interview. Bo nudged the question eggs in Shinichi’s lap, and he took the hint. “Wow, Tsuruga-san -- er, I guess we should call you Hizuri-san now! I don’t think anyone expected your announcement to be anything like that!”

Bo nodded sagely, moving back behind Kuon’s couch. He then held up his drawing, now with an arrow pointing to Kuon’s hair. The rooster seemed very suspicious of his connection to the vegetable. The members of the audience who caught this laughed, easing the tension in the studio. 

“Right!” Hikaru added. “I think we all expected you to announce that you were moving to Hollywood or something.”

Kuon gave an easy smile. “Not immediately, no, and you’re welcome to refer to me by either name. I’ve been Ren for so long that it’s going to take some getting used to people calling me Kuon again.”  _ At least, people other than my family, Kyoko, Yashiro, and Boss. _

“And that opens up a whole bunch of questions,” Yuusei said, gesturing to the basket that Shinichi held. “So how about some eggs?”

Kyoko slipped off the stage to go get more drinks. This would be a very talking-heavy show, and Kuon’s throat especially was bound to get dry. Backstage was in a similar state of shock from the announcement. She pulled off her head to get a breath of cool air as she made her way towards the mini fridge where they stored the full pitchers of ice water. The producer stood, shell-shocked, his mug halfway to his mouth. She hid her smile by shoving Bo’s head back on and grabbing the tray of drinks. 

When she waddled back onstage, Kuon was saying, “...and so I decided to start over here in Japan. I needed to be able to act under my own power, without the expectations that came from being my father’s son.”

“And you certainly succeeded,” Hikaru said as Bo set the drink tray on the table. “Ah, thanks, Bo!”

“Yes, thank you.” Kuon shot her another smile, one far more open than any seen on Tsuruga Ren’s face. A few fans swooned while others were trying to change their signs from ‘Tsuruga Ren’ to ‘Hizuri Kuon.’ 

Bo stilled as if he had just been struck by a realization. He grabbed his abandoned whiteboard and, while the others onstage watched in amusement, scribbled out a name:  _ Katsuki. _

“That’s right!” Yuusei yelped. “You and your father both played Katsuki!”

“Wow, I can’t even imagine the pressure,” Hikaru said. “Not only did you have to play a character that was already so set in people’s minds, you had to play one brought to life by your own father.”

“That must make family dinners awkward,” Shinichi joked. 

“Not overly,” he replied. “It’s honestly kind of funny watching Dad flip between actor mode and oya-baka mode. One minute he’ll be upset that the fans liked my Katsuki better, and the next he’ll be bragging about it to the cat.” (The cat, for those who care, is a fat, fluffy feral adoption named Yogurt. Kuu liked to post pictures of the cat eating yogurt and captioning them ‘cat-ibalism.’)

“You heard it here first, folks, Hizuri Kuu-sama is an oya-baka!” Yuusei said, riling up the audience. “Is it a bad thing that I can picture it?”

Kuon chuckled. “We had a hard time convincing him and Mom not to fly out for this. I keep expecting them to pop out of the crowd.” He turned a suspicious eye on Bo, poking his side. “You’re not either of them, are you?”

Bo shook his head wildly, leaping out of poking range.

“Wait, wait, wait. ‘We?’” Shinichi asked. “Who else had to convince them?”

“Ah.” Kuon made a quick decision. “My  fiancée  .”

Bo let out a whimper that was drowned out by the roar of shock from the crowd.  _ Here we go. _

“I’m sorry, what?” Hikaru asked, voicing what most of the audience was thinking. “You’re  _ engaged? _ ”

“Yup!” came the cheerful answer, deliberately ignoring the audience’s reaction. He kept an eye on Bo, who had gone very, very still. “We’re getting married next June.”

“So, who’s the lucky lady?” Shinichi asked, recovering first. 

“Kyouko,” he answered, his heavenly smile gracing his face. “Though honestly, I’m the lucky one.”

Let it be a testament to Hikaru’s professionalism that he did not react any of the ways he wanted. Instead, he said, his voice a bit too dull, “Kyouko, as in  _ Dark Moon’s _ Mio,  _ Box R _ ’s Natsu, and  _ Sacred Lotus _ ’s Momiji?” He paused, then added a few more of her recent roles, taking care to omit the rooster she was currently playing. 

“The very same,” he said, beaming with pride. “I see you’re a fan of hers, too.”

_ Do not, _ Kyoko warned in her head.  _ Do not start.  _

“Absolutely!” Shinichi proclaimed, trying to bring the mood back up and draw attention away from his heartbroken friend. “We’ve been trying to get her on the show, but scheduling has been  _ impossible _ . Isn’t that right, Bo?” He shot her a knowing grin. 

Bo nodded solemnly, wings folded over his chest. “Buck- _ caw _ .”

“Which is a shame. I bet she’d do great comedy,” Yuusei said, grinning at Bo. 

Bo squawked at him in warning, then gestured back to the eggs. 

“Right, on to the next egg! So, Ren-Kuon-san,” Hikaru paused as he opened an egg, allowing the audience to laugh at the awkward form of address, “what made you decide that now was the right time to tell all of Japan your secrets?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “This is going to sound really silly, given my initial goals and all, but….” He hesitated, giving Bo time to hop about eagerly. “I really didn’t want Kyoko to have to take a fake name when we get married. She said that she was fine either way, but I wanted to be able to give her all of me. And have everyone know that I’m completely hers.”

While the audience aww-ed and made noises of jealousy, Kyoko turned red under her costume.  _ Kuon, please, don’t pull a Father on live TV. _

But Kuon was indeed pulling a Kuu on live TV. “She’s just incredible, you know? You’ve seen her act.” He gestured to the room at large. “But she’s so much more than that. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known, and the kindest for it. Give her time and she can make anyone like her, make anyone feel at home. Just seeing her smile can turn an awful day into a wonderful one. I -- I don’t know what I would do without her. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now… I wouldn’t be so  _ happy _ .” He smiled then,  _ her _ smile. The one that the audience had grown to associate with his romantic characters, the one they had first seen with Katsuki. Finally, they knew to whom that smile belonged. 

But they didn’t get to see it for long. Kyoko, recognizing the pause in his speech as just him winding up for a much longer rant (she knew them  _ far _ too well from Kuu), leapt forward. Bo  _ fwuffed _ Kuon with his wings, urging him back on track. Kuon had the grace to look abashed, realizing how much he had been planning to say. Bo pointed at the eggs again. 

“Right, sorry.” Kuon gave a weak chuckle. “I take after my dad in more than just looks, I guess. Thanks, Bo-kun.”  _ Sorry, love. _

Hikaru stamped, hard, on his feelings for the girl in question, pushing them down to deal with off-camera. He may hold a torch for her, but this… Kyoko deserved to be loved like this -- so overwhelmingly. Even if the girl in question was probably beyond embarrassed at the moment. “Well, we wish you two every happiness.” 

“Thank you.” He perked up, remembering something, and dug in his pocket, pulling out a little bag. “I can put this on now!” He tugged it open and slid a small band onto the ring finger of his left hand. 

Inside the Bo suit, Kyoko’s ring felt heavy on the chain around her neck.  _ Everyone knows now. We can wear them openly. _ She wasn’t sure if she was more relieved by or nervous about that. She was an actress in her own right, but she had a hard time seeing herself as Kuon’s equal. Therapy had helped both of them with their self-esteem, but some things were still beyond her. Not to mention how the public would react to it. Of course, LME had its best PR working on it, and the two had been leaving breadcrumbs for years (starting with him showing off the sheep pillow), but still. Fans could be incredibly jealous, vindictive creatures. 

“Can we get a closer shot of that?” Shinichi asked. 

The camera complied, zooming in on Kuon’s ring as he shook his head. It was a band of iolite, set in platinum. Granted, being set in metal meant that it wouldn’t change like the pieces on Kyoko’s ring, but that wasn’t what mattered. “Absolutely.”

“Is that sapphire?” Hikaru asked, curious despite his aching heart. After all, it is still rather rare for men’s wedding bands to be embellished. 

He shook his head, absentmindedly spinning the ring on his finger. “It’s iolite.”

“I’ve never heard of that before. But I guess it must be i-all-right!” Yuusei laughed. Shinichi and Hikaru groaned while Bo made a big show of cringing away from the joke. 

“It’s not as popular, but it does have sentimental value for us.” Ren smiled out at the audience, not really seeing them. He was seeing their clearing. 

Bo squawked and gestured to the clock, jarring the others out of their respective distractions. He nudged the eggs again. 

“Right, sorry, Bo! We keep doing that tonight.” With tremendous effort, Hikaru smiled at her and cracked open the next egg. “Okay, this is one from the audience, so it’s a bit of a break from your announcements! What’s your favorite role you’ve ever played?”

“Ah.” He hesitated a moment, making Kyoko squint at him suspiciously from behind Bo’s eyes. “While both Katsuki and BJ were incredibly significant moments in my career, my favorite role has to be one that only one person has ever seen.” 

“Really?” Shinichi leaned forward eagerly. 

While Bo squatted down and leaned his chin on his wings to look interested, Kyoko cringed.  _ Please, please, please don’t mention that you played it again when I was 17.  _

“Yeah. I played the role of a fairy prince when I was ten, for none other than Kyoko.” He grinned. 

“Wait, you knew each other as kids?” Yuusei sputtered. The audience, which had been torn between laughing and fantasizing, went silent.

“Just for part of a summer, but yeah. It took us a while to recognize each other when we met up again in Tokyo. For obvious reasons.” He gestured at his hair. “Dad was in the area near her home for work, and I’d wandered off to play in the forest. I came across this really beautiful clearing. I was there for all of two minutes before Kyoko came running into the clearing and asked me if I was a fairy.” 

“A fairy,” Hikaru echoed dully. He really had never had a chance against this man, had he? Kyoko’s love of fairies was common knowledge these days. 

Kuon chuckled. “In her defense, she was six at the time and had never seen someone with blonde hair outside of books before. But yes, I played a fairy prince for her the whole time I was there.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bo stand up and walk around to the back of the couch.  _ What is she doing? _

His answer came a moment later, when Bo hid behind him but stuck out his wings, making it look like they were Kuon’s.  _ Okay, not fairy wings, but close enough. _ Bo’s efforts were rewarded with the audience’s laughter. Kuon turned around to look at them and got a faceful of feathers for his efforts. Needless to say, the audience’s laughter redoubled.

**vVvVvVvVvVv**

After the show was done, Kyoko waddled offstage and pulled off Bo’s head. That had been an intense show. Once all the questions were done, they had shifted over to the game portion of the show. Honestly, she didn’t know what the game had been. She had been busy changing into the Chef Bo outfit and putting the finishing touches on the food for the Cheers to Gluttony section. Of course, as it was her cooking, Kuon had loved it. Overall, the show had gone well, and she hadn’t had to run too much interference. She ran a wing through her sweaty hair and looked up to find a very conflicted producer staring at her. 

“Er, yes, sir?”

He just shook his head and walked away to talk with his assistant. He wasn’t going to thank her. She had caused too many problems in the past. 

Kuon came up behind her and gave her a loose hug. “Thank you, princess.”

“I’m glad you liked the food,” she said, turning around to face him. 

He smiled and wiped some of the sweat off of her forehead. “For that, too.”

Before the sweet moment could continue, Yashiro bustled up to them, gloves on and phone in hand. “Good job! Okay, the president has extra security outside, but it’ll still be around an hour before we can leave. Kyoko-chan, why don’t you go get changed?”

“Yes!” She smiled, eager to get out of the sweaty suit. 

Kuon released her, but slid one of his arms around to rest on her shoulder. The other plucked Bo’s head out of her hands. “I’ll walk you.”

“Thanks, Corn,” she replied, and led him to Bo’s nest. It had recently (thanks to the pestering of the Ishibashis and negotiating of her super-manager) been upgraded to an actual dressing room, complete with squishy bean bags. A soft smile tugged at her lips. What a sight the two of them made: Hizuri Kuon, in all his glory, walking with his arm around a woman in a headless chicken costume.  _ Today is surreal. _

He leaned against the wall outside her dressing room while she changed into something more image-appropriate. He petted Bo’s comb, marvelling at how far they had come.  _ And now everyone finally,  _ finally _ knows. I can hold her hand in public now.  _ It was strange how that overshadowed his identity reveal in his mind, considering how long that had been in the works, but it did. She had long since seen him in ways no one else did. And now Japan -- hell, the world, if anything in L.A. picked this up -- knew the truth: Hizuri Kuon and Mogami Kyoko were in love. They were getting married. And they were happy. 

Kyoko stepped out of Bo’s nest, dressed to face the press, and plopped Bo’s body in the awaiting cart. She giggled as his eyes honed in on her left hand. She had put on her ring -- diamonds and iolite, shaped to look like fairy wings and set in platinum. And then, without warning, he lifted her by the waist and spun her around, whooping. 

She grabbed onto his shoulders, her grin matching his. “Kuon! What are you doing?”

Grinning, he dumped her and Bo’s head into the cart and began pushing it down the hallway at a sprint. “I have no idea!”

She laughed, sinking into Bo’s costume as the cart jolted through the hallways. When it slowed, she sat up. “Realized you don’t know where to take it?”

He shook his head. “It’s our spot.” They were in the hallway where she had so often found him -- the hallway where ‘Bo’ had helped him realize that he was madly in love with her. “I never did thank you for all the help you gave me as Bo.”

“I’m glad I could help. And I think it worked out pretty well for me, too,” she said with a wink (a habit she had picked up from Kuu). She leaned on the edge of the cart, looking up at him. “Are you relieved that everyone knows now?”

He grinned, spinning his ring on his finger again. “Absolutely. Now I don’t have to deal with anyone else flirting with you. Or with me.”

“I meant your  _ name _ , Kuon.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Ah. That.” He hesitated, mulling it over. “I think I’m relieved, yeah. It doesn’t feel real yet.” He started walking again, making the cart jolt.

“Ah, take a left here.” She pointed. “Maybe it’ll feel more real after a few more talks? Or once we go see Mom and Dad?”

“I’m surprised we talked them out of flying out for this,” he muttered. 

“Another left, we’re almost there. And yeah,” she laughed. “I keep expecting them to pop up in a terrible disguise.”

“What, like a pair of peacocks?” The rest of the trip to the laundry chute consisted of them coming up with sillier and sillier costumes, all of which Lory no doubt had in his vault. 

Kyoko struggled to get out of the deep cart without stepping all over Bo. Kuon eventually took pity on her and lifted her out, then held the chute open while she sent Bo to his bubbly fate. She grabbed his hand and started walking. “The cart stays here. C’mon, Yuki-kun is probably worrying over where we are.”

He intertwined their fingers and matched her pace, reveling in being able to finally,  _ finally _ hold her hand in public. “I’m honestly surprised that he let us go off on our own.”

**vVvVvVvVvVv**

Hikaru was not doing so well. He had always assumed that Kyoko was just not the type to date current co-workers, and that he might have a chance once the show wrapped. She had even started joining them for dinner after some shoots in the past year, so he had let his hopes grow. He really thought that, when this show ended, he would have a chance. After all, it wasn’t like she ever talked about having a partner or going on dates. And then tonight’s show happened. 

Kyoko was not just dating. She was  _ engaged. _ To Japan’s Hottest Man. Who talked about her like she was his whole world. They had known each other as kids. She had thought he was a  _ fairy _ . He was the son of acting legend Hizuri Kuu. Not to mention how freakishly tall he was.  _ Why is it always the tall guys? _ This was just too much. It didn’t feel real. 

And now she was walking back from dropping off Bo, hand in hand with him. Her ring glinted on her finger, catching the awful fluorescent light of the hallway. How could she look so beautiful, even under such soul-sucking lighting? Hikaru could hear his co-hosts saying something -- she was almost in front of them. He had to say something. He couldn’t form words. 

Yuusei and Shinichi exchanged a concerned look behind Hikaru’s back. They were glad that Kyoko had found such happiness, but this was bad for their leader. They needed to do a guys’ night tonight for damage control. And make sure that his stunned state didn’t ruin his friendship with Kyoko. Even if they could never date, she was still a dear friend and incredible co-worker. 

“Wow, Kyoko-chan, that was a shocker! You really saved us out there.” Yuusei draped an arm over Hikaru’s shoulders. “Right, leader? We all froze up.”

Hikaru nodded, staring blankly at Kyoko. “A big shock,” he echoed.

“Dunno what we would’ve done if you weren’t out there being Bo. Really, couldn’t either of you have warned us?” Shinichi shook his head, inviting Kuon into the conversation. 

“What would be the fun in that?” he replied with a lopsided grin. 

Kyoko elbowed him, then turned back to her friends. “I’m really sorry! Kuon’s identity wasn’t my secret to tell.”

“Yeah, that’s alright. Good for ratings, anyway. But you could've at least told us you were seeing someone,” Yuusei griped, but softened it with a smile. “How else are we supposed to be there for you when he pisses you off?” Shinichi flicked him surreptitiously.  _ Right, we need to keep this friendly with all parties involved. _

To their surprise, Kuon laughed. “I think you’ll have to get in line for that one. Dad’s got first dibs on my spine if I mess up.”

Kyoko’s grudges and angels danced around Hikaru, trying to get a read on him. Her angels retreated, recognizing his as a negative mood. But what was it? She cocked her head to the side, studying him. He was unusually quiet, and wouldn’t meet her eyes. 

“Congrats, though! We’re invited to the wedding, right? We’ll have to get a tailor to do a wedding outfit for Bo.” Shinichi chuckled at the thought of Kyoko, clad in Bo’s costume, waddling down the aisle. 

“Of course you are!” Kyoko exclaimed. “We’re sending out the invitations this weekend, but I hope the short notice doesn’t cause problems for you!”

Yuusei waved it off. “No worries. We wouldn’t miss it for the world, right, leader?”

“Right.” His voice was dull.  _ Kyoko-chan’s wedding. _

“I’M SO SORRY!” And suddenly, Kyoko dove into a dogeza, accidentally dragging Kuon to the floor with her by the hand. It had been so long since she’d done one that he hadn’t been prepared to counter-balance her dive and keep them both off the floor. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO UPSET YOU, MY LONGEST-TIME COWORKERS WHO PUTS UP WITH MY NONSENSICAL ACTIONS AND STOOD UP FOR ME WHEN I WAS A MERE TALENTO! I JUST NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO TELL YOU WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE AROUND --”

Kuon used his free hand to tug her out of her dogeza and back to her feet. “Princess, I don’t think you need to apologize this much for it.” 

“But--!” Her eyes cut back to Hikaru, whose face now bore a different, mixed expression. 

“We’re not upset with you, Kyoko-chan,” he said, his voice soft. “It was just a surprise, is all.” He glanced up at Kuon, and added, “Congratulations. I hope you two are really happy.”

Kuon gave him a sympathetic smile. “Thank you.”

_ Ah. So he knew. _ Hikaru chuckled.  _ Of course he knew. I wonder how many times she unknowingly shot him down. Or maybe he had the courage to tell her straight out, unlike me.  _ He cursed his shyness (and his height) one final time. The look of relief on Kyoko’s face was treasure enough. And, if she never knew how he felt, they could keep being friends. Heck, maybe he could handle his jealousy well enough to befriend her future husband. “Well, there’s some snacks with our names on them back in the break room. Anyone hungry?”

On cue, Kyoko’s stomach growled. 

**And that concludes this selfish oneshot! I’m going to level with you: the image of Kyoko-as-Bo knocking off Kuon’s wig has been in my head at** **_least_ ** **since the third installment of the “My Heart, Yours” series of fics. Several years later, I FINALLY made it into a oneshot. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! :D**


End file.
